The reproach Lysias suffered from a politician

 

Socrates: Then now, Phaedrus, we can decide those other issues (Nu=n dh\ e0kei=na h1dh, w} Fai=dre, duna/meqa kri/nein), since we have agreed about these (tou/twn w(mologhme/nwn).

Phaedrus: What are they (Ta\ poi=a)?

Socrates: The ones we wanted to look into, which brought us to our present conclusion (W{n dh\ pe/ri boulhqe/ntej i0dei=n a0fiko/meqa ei0j to/de): how we are to weigh up the reproach aimed at Lysias about his writing of speeches (o3pwj to\ Lusi/ou te o1neidoj e0ceta/saimen th=j tw~n lo/gwn grafh=j te pe/ri), and speeches themselves (kai\ au0tou\j tou\j lo/gouj), which were written scientifically and which not (oi4 te/xnh| kai\ a1neu te/xnhj gra/fointo). Well then, what is scientific and what is unscientific (to\ me\n ou]n e1ntexnon  kai\ mh/) seems to me to have been demonstrated in fair measure (dokei= moi dedhlw~sqai metri/wj).

Phaedrus: I thought so (E!doce/ ge dh/); but remind me again now (pa/lin de\ u9po/mnhso/n me pw~j).

 

We don’t need to be reminded of Socrates’ criteria for scientific and unscientific writing. What we need to be reminded of is the reproach concerning writing that Lysias had suffered.

Socrates appended to the palinode a prayer to Eros: ‘turn Lysias to philosophy (e0pi\ filosofi/an tre/yon), so that Phaedrus, his lover (o9 e0rasth\j o3de au0tou=), may simply turn his life towards love accompanied by philosophic discussions (a9plw~j pro\j E!rwta meta\ filoso/fwn lo/gwn to\n bi/on poih=tai).’ Phaedrus joins the prayer, and expresses his admiration of Socrates’ palinode: ‘I’m afraid Lysias will appear wretched to me in comparison (o0knw~ mh/ moi o0 Lusi/aj ta/peinoj fanh=|) if he does consent to put up another logos in competition with it (e0a\n a1ra kai\ e0qelh/sh| pro\j au0to\n a1llon paratei=nai).’ From doubting Lysias’ ability to compete with Socrates, Phaedrus turns to the reproach Lysias suffered in the hands of an Athenian politician: ‘Indeed, my fine fellow (kai\ ga/r tij au0to\n, w} qauma/sie), just recently one of the politicians was abusing him with this very charge (e1nagxoj tw~n politikw~n tou=t’ au0to\ loidorw~n w)nei/dize), and throughout all his abuse (kai\ dia\ pa/shj th=j loidori/aj) kept calling him a ‘speech-writer’ (e0ka/lei logo/grafon); so perhaps we shall find him refraining from writing out of concern for his reputation (ta/x’ ou]n u9po\ filotimi/aj e0pi/sxoi h9mi=n a2n tou= gra/fein).’

I won’t repeat here Socrates’ rebukes addressed to Phaedrus – ‘you much mistake your friend, if you think him so frightened of mere noise …’. What I want to point out is that at 277a Plato limits his censure of writing to the discussion that followed the rebuke of Lysias for his speech-writing. Untouched by that discussion, the palinode stands there as Socrates’ living spoken word in contrast to Lysias’ written speech. In other words, Plato leaves the palinode untouched by the discussion of writing, discussion that follows the rebuke to Lysias as speech-writer at 257c, and leads to Socrates’ ‘which brought us to the present discussion’ at 277a.